A Court of Wings and Ruin

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s actions and learn what she can about the invading king threatening to bring her land to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit. One slip could bring doom not only for Feyre, but for everything-and everyone-she holds dear.
As war bears down upon them all, Feyre endeavors to take her place amongst the High Fae of the land, balancing her struggle to master her powers-both magical and political-and her love for her court and family. Amidst these struggles, Feyre and Rhysand must decide whom to trust amongst the cunning and lethal High Lords, and hunt for allies in unexpected places.
In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the fate of Feyre’s world is at stake as armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy it.

Trigger Warning: Blood, Death, Emotionally abusive relationship (past referenced), Rape (past referenced), Sex scenes, Violence, War

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My Thoughts

A Court of Wings and Ruin did not disappoint (for the most part). This book was full of action, twists and turns, plotting, and just dealing with a lot of shit (and don’t forget the spicy scenes). Sarah J Maas outdid herself as far as I’m concerned. I mean I LOVED book 1 (wow!). Then I read book 2 and loved it even more (she can’t keep this up!). Then I read book 3 and OoooMmmmGeeeee! She’s brilliant!

Now if I had to critique (which I do) I have two “complaints”. Let’s get them out of the way.

First, A Court of Wings and Ruin absolutely could’ve been spit into two books (and I have to say that I wish they were…mostly because I don’t want this series to end). Since the storyline in ACOWAR includes bringing the Courts together to fight a massive battle, I would have loved to see this book delve deeper into bringing back the Archeron girl’s father, more on the High Lords, the politics, bringing the Courts together, some additional drama. I mean these people have been around for HUNDREDS OF YEARS…there’s got to be a lot we can uncover. While we do get some insight into other Courts and High Lords, I think there’s so much more to be explored. Then ACOWAR part 2 (I’m not as creative as SJM in naming boos) could have been almost solely devoted to the war and the aftermath. Maybe more deaths of characters (not that I wanted more deaths, but it really would’ve hit a bit harder). The second part of this critique is that I have so many questions about Lucien, Eris, Helion, Vassa, Amren, Feyre’s dad, how did characters get from one place to the other just in time…AHHHHHH so many questions! I needed so much more! Maybe some of this will be answered in future books (I’m going to need multiple spin offs Ms. Maas!).

Second, while I have enjoyed that this series has been told in the first-person from Feyre’s perspective both because it helped me really understand Feyre and experience things more deeply while I experienced everything with Feyre, I missed the multiple POV I got in the previous series I read (An Ember in the Ashes). I would have liked it if we got at least a few chapters from the perspective of other characters (Cassian, Azriel, Mor, and Nesta to name a few). I really would have liked to experience many parts of the story from their perspective (two books would have allowed this further deep dive as well…just saying).

Now onto why I love this book…Where do I even begin?! I find the dynamics of this “family” beautiful. The existing Inner Circle – Rhysand, Azriel, Cassian, Morrigan, and Amren – have chosen each other and fought for each other for 500 years. Feyre joins this family in A Court of Mist and Fury and now we have the addition of Nesta and Elain (I half include Lucian too). Each brings a piece of the puzzle to the family, and we get to watch both individual and relationship development.

Feyre becomes more confident, stronger, and self-aware. Her ability to see herself (Ouroboros…if you know you know) and accept what she sees which is not so easy to do (especially the not great parts of ourselves). I appreciated that SJM didn’t try to make Feyre’s fighting and war skills up to the same level as the others who have experienced war and lived for hundreds of years. Feyre brought her own skill set to the war, but it wasn’t unrealistic.

Oh lovely Rhysand, my High Lord. Each book peels back more layers and we continue to see his generosity, loyalty, humor, and love for his friends and people. I do feel like he had the least character development in this book because this is just who Rhys is and the only difference was his ability to be himself (please wait while I swoon).

“I believe everything happens for a reason. Whether it is decided by the Mother, or the Cauldron, or some sort of tapestry of Fate, I don’t know. I don’t really care. But I am grateful for it, whatever it is. Grateful that it brought you all into my life. If it hadn’t… I might have become as awful as that prick we’re going to face today. If I had not met an Illyrian warrior-in-training,” he said to Cassian, “I would not have known the true depths of strength, of resilience, of honor and loyalty.” Cassian’s eyes gleamed bright. Rhys said to Azriel, “If I had not met a shadowsinger, I would not have known that it is the family you make, not the one you are born into, that matters. I would not have known what it is to truly hope, even when the world tells you to despair.” Azriel bowed his head in thanks.
Mor was already crying when Rhys spoke to her. “If I had not met my cousin, I would never have learned that light can be found in even the darkest of hells. That kindness can thrive even amongst cruelty.” She wiped away her tears as she nodded.
I waited for Amren to offer a retort. But she was only waiting.
Rhys bowed his head to her. “If I had not met a tiny monster who hoards jewels more fiercely than a firedrake…” A quite laugh from all of us at that. Rhys smiled softly. “My own power would have consumed me long ago.”
Rhys squeezed my hand as he looked to me at last. “And if I had not met my mate…” His words failed him as silver lined his eyes.
He said down the bond, I would have waited five hundred more years for you. A thousand years. And if this was all the time we were allowed to have… The wait was worth it.
He wiped away the tears sliding down my face. “I believe that everything happened, exactly the way it had to… so I could find you.” He kissed another tear away.”

Overall, I enjoyed both Mor and Amren in this book (especially Amren and Valaris). I had a few what the heck moments. I thought Mor’s “confession” came out of nowhere and I don’t appreciate how she’s handling things with Azriel.

Lucien is a question mark for me. I want to like him but in some ways I don’t care a whole lot about him. I guess I feel sorry for him. I think Lucian fell into the Tamlin trap as his only option when he left his family and didn’t have much choice (grasping for anyone like Feyre did). There just wasn’t enough about Lucien in this book but I will just say, Lucian and Helion (very interesting and I do hope there’s more on this).

Cassian who I love more with each book. The way he treats and interacts with Nesta, Feyre, Rhys, all of them. He is beautiful inside and out and has quickly risen to the top of my favorites list.

“You gave everything, Rhys. You went through that hell for us, for fifty years. You think I don’t know what happened? I know, Rhys. We all do. And we know you did it to save us, spare us. Let us return the favor. Let us repay the debt.”

Nesta, the prickly sister. I know a lot of the fandom is not a fan of Nesta but I love our newest Fae. There is clearly a lot going on there and I’m hoping one of the next books will do Nesta justice (and I wouldn’t mind a bit of Nesstian – or whatever we want to call Nesta and Cassian).

Elain, the sweet sister, who is mated to Lucien but who I SHIP with Azriel (#ELRIEL ❤). Very sweet and gentle while still a bit of a badass (again if you know, you know). It was also nice to see the sisters come together.

“I didn’t know how long my sisters and I lay there together, just like we had once shared that carved bed in that dilapidated cottage. Then—back then, we had kicked and twisted and fought for any bit of space, any breathing room. But that morning, as the sun rose over the world, we held tight. And did not let go.”

I still don’t like Tamlin. I think he’s a selfish idiot who has no self-awareness. I do appreciate moments in the book where Tamlin showed some sense of not being a complete dick but he is who he is (petty, entitled little bitch). I am glad that SJM didn’t try to wrap Tamlin up in a neat bow of change because in reality not everyone changes or sees the error of their ways. 

I have no idea what A Court of Frost and Starlight or A Court of Silver Flames will bring. I hope some fulfillment to some of what I felt was missing in ACOWAR, but regardless I am obsessed with this series (I am currently looking for tattoo ideas because I must keep this series with me forever LOL).

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Favorite Book Quotes

“I have no regrets in my life, but this. That we did not have time. That I did not have time with you, Nesta. I will find you in the next world – the next life. And we will have that time. I promise.”

“What we think to be our greatest weakness can sometimes be our biggest strength.”

“I see all of you, Rhys. And there is not one part that I do not love with everything I am.”

“Remember that you are a wolf. And you cannot be caged.”

“It’s a rare person to face who they are and not run from it – not be broken by it.”

“We’re all broken, in our own ways – In places no one might see.”

“When you erupt, girl, make sure it is felt across worlds.”

“Kindness can thrive even amongst cruelty.”

“Leave this world… a better place than how you found it.”

“I am yours, and you are mine.”

“But this is war. We don’t have the luxury of good ideas—only picking between the bad ones.”

“Be happy, Feyre.”

“I hadn’t realized I was a villain in your narrative”

“I belong to NO ONE. But my heart belongs to you”

“My rage had become a living thing inside my chest, an echoing heartbeat that soothed me to sleep and stirred me to waking.”

“But it was Azriel who said, his voice like cold death, “Be careful how you speak about my High Lady.”

“A hand brushed my back. Then Rhys groaned, “If we’re all here, either things went very, very wrong or very right.” Cassian’s broken laugh cracked out of him.”

“Elain had always been gentle and sweet—and I had considered it a different sort of strength. A better strength. To look at the hardness of the world and choose, over and over, to love, to be kind. She had been always so full of light.”

“I wasn’t sure I’d been born with the ability to forgive. Not for terrors inflicted on those I loved. For myself, I didn’t care—not nearly as much. But there was some fundamental pillar of steel in me that could not bend or break in this. Could not stomach the idea of letting these people get away with what they’d done.”

“If Rhysand was Night Triumphant, I was the star that only glowed thanks to his darkness, the light only visible because of him. ”

“He took my hand, interlacing our fingers. “We can make whatever rules we want. You have every right to question me, push me—both in private and in public.” A snort. “Of course, if you decide to truly kick my ass, I might request that it’s done behind closed doors so I don’t have to suffer centuries of teasing, but—”

“Mother hold you. May you pass through the gates; may you smell that immortal land of milk and honey. Fear no evil. Feel no pain. May you enter eternity.”

“They couldn’t break me because … because they never touched that innermost part of me. They never even guessed. But I hid it … I’ve hidden it because …” She tilted back her head, looking skyward. “Because I live in terror of my family finding out—and shaming me, hurting me about this one thing that has remained wholly mine. This one part of me. I won’t let them … won’t let them destroy it.”

“I looked ahead, toward that laugh, that light—and that vision of the future Feyre had shown me, more beautiful than anything I could have ever wished for—anything I had wished for, on those long-ago, solitary nights with only the stars for company. A dream still unanswered—but not forever.”

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.

At least, he’s not a beast all the time.

As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin – and his world – forever.